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Burn Your Draft
By Burn Your DraftEducation
Burn Your Draft episodes
- #56: Breaking Ancient DNA with David Rothfels '23, Chemistry/ClassicsDavid studied archaeometry at Reed through an ad hoc major in the chemistry and classics departments (classics at Reed is now known as Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies). He was introduced to archaeometry, the application of scientific methods and technology to archaeological study, by a research mentor after his sophomore year, and then went about petitioning to form his ad hoc program at Reed (it's not an easy process).Reed community members can read David's thesis, “Hoping to Smash DNA with Rocks and Pickaxes,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive:https://rdc.reed.edu/i/38fe0ef0-afa6-4cb8-b28a-2b988b231627Explore past interviews on our website:https://blogs.reed.edu/burn-your-draft/31 min
- #55: Oregon's Black Exclusion Laws and a Salem Church with Peri Joy Long '23, ReligionPeri Joy planned for the work of her thesis year to center on race, religion, and the history of Oregon, and her writing focused on archives related to a 19th century congregation in Salem, Oregon led by Reverend Obed Dickinson. Dickinson’s decision to admit three formerly enslaved Black persons—Elizabeth Johnson and Robert and Polly Holmes—into his congregation marked the beginning of a six-year conflict between Dickinson, the white church members, and the broader Salem community over the issue of race.Her thesis was titled, “Bringing the Truth to Bear: Obed Dickinson and an Imagined Community of Racial Equality in Nineteenth-Century Salem, Oregon.”You can learn more about Obed Dickinson and Oregon's Black exclusion laws from the Oregon Historical Society's Oregon Encyclopedia.Obed Dickinson: https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/dickinson-obed/Oregon's Black exclusion laws: https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/exclusion_laws/#.Y02IQlLMIbY31 min
- #54: Indigenous Modernity along the Columbia River with Sofie Larsen-Teskey '23, AnthropologySofie gets excited about the opportunity she had to write an ethnographic thesis which explored relationships between the Indigenous peoples of the Columbia River and salmon. Sofie also talks about what it took to produce her "multi-chapter document".Reed community members can read Sofie's thesis, "Salmon Pluralities: Nch’í Wána Pum, Traditional Fishing, and Indigenous Modernity," online in the Electronic Theses Archive:https://rdc.reed.edu/i/e28041bc-9ad1-41cc-b990-b6c38655a4f131 min
- #53: Philosophy of Science with Betsy Hoekstra '20, PhilosophyBetsy spent her thesis year thinking and unthinking what it's possible to know about science, and how science can be used and mis-used in the field of psychiatry.Reed community members can read Betsy's thesis, “Now Doc, Hear Me Out— Epistemic Injustice in Psychiatry and a Case for Philosophy of Science as a Resource for Intervention,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive:https://rdc.reed.edu/i/41ed3201-3ad3-42c6-939d-52cc8de1706734 min
- #52: Post-Reconstruction Struggles of Chinese Women with LiLi Siedare '23, HistoryLiLi's thesis focused on the struggles that Chinese women faced in the U.S. after the Civil War, and the damage done to Asian American immigrants by the Page Act of 1875.Reed community members can read LiLi's thesis, "'For Lewd and Immoral Purposes': Chinese Women in the United States and the Page Act of 1875," online in the Electronic Theses Archive:https://rdc.reed.edu/i/c4ecba9a-61de-456f-8a3b-c3b23d5802aa26 min
- #51: A Martian Immigrant with Henry Belman '23, EnglishHenry discusses finding his thesis topic in the comics character of J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, and accomplishing the rare feat of turning in a thesis a little early. Tommy Schacht '25, our new producer for this year, interviewed Henry last May. Welcome, Tommy!Reed community members can read Henry's thesis, “My Favorite Martian (Manhunter): Alien Immigrants in Comics,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive:https://rdc.reed.edu/i/dd3febd9-fcd3-4af8-bc5f-8d2cd35cc13020 min
- 2023 Summer AnnouncementBurn Your Draft is on break for the summer. Our next season will begin in the fall with our new host and producer, Tommy Schacht '25. Thanks to Albert Kerelis '24 for all the work and conversations, and good luck with your thesis next year!3 min
- #50: Liminal Love with Stephanie Shu '23, ChineseStephanie's thesis examines female-female love as depicted in Republican era Chinese fiction, and includes a full original translation of one of the stories she examines.Reed community members can read Stephanie's thesis, “Writing Love and Liminality: Female Homoeroticism in Early Republican Chinese Fiction,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive:https://rdc.reed.edu/i/546e55bd-dc70-4f00-89d6-78c48ed9eddc31 min
- #49: Speaking Gender with Montreal Benesch '22, LinguisticsMontreal tells us about their study on the use of a particular phonetic feature of American English by a handful of genderfluid students at Reed, and also about how they became interested in linguistics.Reed community members can read Montreal's thesis, “/s/tylizing the /s/elf: A First Look into the Concurrent Fluidity of Gender and Language,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive:https://rdc.reed.edu/i/567f7c74-b4b2-4c84-9305-2158e2f8d85320 min
- #48: Retelling the Ramayana with Anjali Reddy '22, EnglishAnjali spoke with Albert about her year studying the epic tale of the Ramayana and related texts that examine the story through both gender and caste.Reed community members can read Anjali's thesis, “The Power of The Novel: Recognizing The Subaltern in The Ramayana,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive:https://rdc.reed.edu/i/c314d6ca-5b08-4319-ae65-5b752cc2b5fb24 min
About Burn Your Draft
From the publisher's feed
“Burn Your Draft” is a podcast exploring the year-long senior thesis experience at Reed College, an independent liberal arts and sciences college in Portland, Oregon. Each episode showcases a senior…
or recent graduate and interviews them about their thesis: what is it, why did they do it, and what comes next. This podcast is a joint production of Reed students, staff, and alumni, and was made possible by a gift from Seth Paskin '90. New episodes released every other week during the academic year. Episodes may contain explicit language and may deal with sensitive topics. The views, information, or opinions expressed on this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Reed College.